Toyota Resumes Operations At 3 Plants After Heavy Snowfall

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Toyota Motor Corp. resumed operations Tuesday morning at three plants in central Japan that were shut the previous day as parts delivery was suspended due to heavy snowfall last weekend, while many plants of other automakers remained idled.

Toyota reopened its Takaoka, Motomachi and Tahara plants in Aichi Prefecture where the company is headquartered, while the operations at the Tsutumi plant will also be resumed later in the day.

Since Monday afternoon, Nissan Motor Co. has suspended operations of one of the two production lines at its Tochigi plant in Tochigi Prefecture in eastern Japan. The company said the delay in parts delivery could affect the remaining line at the Tochigi plant as well as production at its Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo.

As of Tuesday, Honda Motor Co. had halted production at its Yorii plant in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, while Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru brand vehicles, had suspended output at two plants in Gunma Prefecture in eastern Japan. Suzuki Motor Corp. had suspended part of its production lines at its three plants in Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan.

Meanwhile, Daihatsu Motor Co. resumed production on Tuesday morning at two plants in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures in western Japan.